There are no magic bullshit bullets in life… NONE

I don’t often talk about weight loss or food planning unless someone asks me or someone is being misinformed. It’s a very personal thing, for everyone. Those who know me well know that I used to weigh 220lbs, not that long ago really — just under 5 years ago — You can see the pictures. And, I was miserable because of it. I had a whole host of things wrong with me like high blood pressure, arthritis, strange pains, and I was probably close to being pre-Diabetic. That’s what this whole damn blog was about.

Food isn’t scary. Carbs, protein and fat aren’t scary. Food is just those ingredients smashed together into funny shapes. Those ingredients ultimately become you. Think about it like that. Pay attention to what you want to become.

If you are thinking about food, and losing weight… I beg of you. Do your homework, but please don’t be afraid of REAL food. The body is very adaptable. Remember, you gained the weight somehow… There are NO MAGIC BULLETS.

Any “system” that proclaims to change your life… is complete and total BULLSHIT, unless it involves exercise and proper nutrition. Even having gastric bypass. You still need to be cognizant of the food that travels over your lips. I can’t stress that enough. Rapid weight loss is rarely sustainable. For anyone, under any circumstance. The entire $6B dollar diet industry depends on duping you to make a buck… and I call bullshit.

Your body likes to stay in “stasis”. It doesn’t like to be disturbed and it will do everything and anything it has to, including cannibalizing your tissue, to keep alive. It’s also really efficient at storing extra calories for a rainy day or under periods of high stress. Look it up.

I don’t proclaim to have all the answers, I’m not an expert, and I don’t think what I did — the combination of Greco Lean&Fit, food planning and weight training — is the golden ticket for everyone either… It worked for me — I was at the right place in my life to make it happen. And, by God, I wanted it to happen.

It helped that I had an awesome trainer at Greco to help me out. But, Brad didn’t do the work for me. I achieved results, others who followed a similar plan, did not. My results were all me. You always know that you should be eating better, but until it’s on a sheet in front of you, it’s all hocus-pocus. “Yeah, yeah,” I said, “I eat fine.” Like hell I did. He knew I wasn’t telling the whole story.

I am encouraged though when my niece tells me that she got a very similar nutrition plan, just a few weeks ago, from a professional. Someone who does know. I attribute it to the fact that my plan made sense. It has to make sense, folks. If you could drink a powder every morning and call it a day for your nutrition, does that make fucking sense to you? C’mon!

I am at a point now, having really been away from the gym for close to 6 months, that I haven’t gained any significant amount of weight. At the most 10 lbs, and I’m currently sitting at 165.2 lbs. And, I still keep check periodically.

I am not afraid of the scale. It’s a guage as to where I’m at. I don’t get attached to what it tells me.

But, I also can’t eat the quantities I did when I was working out 3-4 times a week either. That’s simple math. I know how my body responds and when I need more or less of something. That’s it. That’s how it works for me now. If I have pizza, then, maybe I can’t eat a bagel. If I have a bowl of ice cream, then I don’t have a beer. And, any of my friends will tell you that I eat fairly normally.

Food isn’t scary. There are however a whole host of diet and weight loss products out there, that cost real money, that people buy into, that are scary. Why? Because can you honestly say that you are realistically going to take this product for the rest of your life? You might as well not shell out the money for the product and get the meds the doctor is going to give you. Same fucking difference. What’s the point in fooling yourself any longer?

I’ll end my rant now… but lastly…

Three things: Don’t be afraid of food, don’t buy into a system and do the work. You’ll be so much better off.

2 responses to “There are no magic bullshit bullets in life… NONE”

Thanks for this post. I used to be afraid of eating right, but now I am getting down and dirty in my kitchen each night having fun with my new meal plan. For me, my plan included actually eating too. No wonder my blood sugar levels were all over the place. I was denying my body fuel for whole days sometimes. Right now I am not focused too much on losing my extra weight, but just starting to teach myself what real food even tastes like. Its pretty damn good, and I feel much better each day.

I think your comment about knowing how your body responds is important. When I was living in the backwoods hiking 5 hours a day, I felt my energy levels lower at the end of each hike. We would have some food and it was like I could feel my energy levels rise again. The kids I was working with would even ask for whole wheat pita breads for our wraps because they felt it gave them more energy to hike, carry water, pile wood etc. Back in the city world, I noticed these changes less, but I am starting to tune back into them. I think listening to my body is key now.